ADAM'S SURPRISE VISITOR
Unbraiding her hair, Dr. Samantha Nielsen stomped across the floor of the hotel room and scolded herself. Twit! Idiot! Cretin! Fool! What had she expected? Did she really think, after six months, that Adam would put his life on hold until she made up her mind about Dr. Robert Sternberg? Sure, she had written Adam on many occasions to ask how he was, what things he had remembered, how his family was doing. And he had answered her letters. He never mentioned the book by Kipling – "Gunga Din" – or the bar of lavender soap, but she knew that Hop Sing had left them both on his bed as she had requested. Hop Sing was completely dependable.
Sitting down and brushing her long brunette hair in front of the mirror, she looked at her reflection and stuck out her tongue at the woman she saw. Silently, she thought about the situation. I'm crazy. I left Adam to see if my relationship with Robert would work out. True, Robert is a wonderful man and I will always love him, in my own way. But I knew within weeks of returning to San Francisco that things between us could just never be more than what they were – a wonderful professional relationship and an incredible friendship. There was no fire with Robert, no passion. Yet I stayed and stayed, dragging my feet about whether or not to come back to Virginia City. I waited too long. And, to make matters worse, I just planted myself on the front porch of the Ponderosa without any warning that I was coming. I swore Doc Martin to secrecy about my arrival. I'm just damn lucky that anybody was at home to begin with! Ah, but surprises have a way of backfiring, don't they? After the way I left him, did I expect Adam to welcome me with open arms?
Removing her robe, Sam climbed tiredly into bed. It had been a long day but she couldn't sleep. She kept re-playing the evening's events in her head.
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Sam had arrived via stage after twilight had fallen. She had gotten a hotel room, changed into her riding clothes, rented a horse at the livery stable and had galloped out of town toward the Ponderosa. It never entered her mind that the house might be empty; she didn't care whether or not she interrupted the evening meal. She just didn't think things through in her excitement.
She walked her horse as quietly as she could to the hitching post. She saw a buggy there but thought nothing of it. Rapping on the door, she stood in nervous anticipation.
Hop Sing answered the door, and his face broke into a wide smile. Sam put her fingers to her lips to indicate to him that he should be quiet. The two spoke in whispers in Chinese. Hop Sing cackled.
"Who is it, Hop Sing?" Ben called.
"Visitor at door. Would like to speak with you," Hop Sing replied, still cackling.
Ben rose from the table, walked to the front door and, when he saw who the visitor was, his face lit up. A broad grin and a hearty "Hello, stranger!" were the most welcoming signs that Sam could've hoped for. She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek.
"Come in! Come in and have supper with us!" Ben said, taking her by the elbow.
As the pair rounded the corner into the dining room, Sam saw Hoss and Joe first. Rising quickly, they gave and received welcoming hugs. Sam was elated, her green eyes sparkling. Her reception was more than she had hoped for.
Then, there was Adam. He rose to his feet, smiled, and extended his hand. "It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."
And sitting next to Adam was a woman. Sam's heart missed a beat as she considered the possibility that she might be looking at Adam's wife. There was nothing she could do but smile.
Adam, very formally, made the introductions. "Dr. Samantha Nielsen, I'd like you to meet Miss Gretchen Werner. Gretchen, this is Dr. Samantha Nielsen – the doctor who helped me regain my memory after the accident."
Gretchen was beautifully dressed – not too revealing but showing just enough of her body to make men look at her more than several times. Her hair was the color of spun gold and was piled on top of her head in beautiful curls; her eyes were blue, and her skin was the unflawed texture of fine porcelain. Sam thought momentarily of her own freckled pug nose, her naturally curly hair, and the fact that she was wearing her riding clothes. This is not the surprise I had envisioned.
But Sam had excellent social graces and extended her hand to the woman. When Gretchen rose to reach for Sam's hand, Sam realized how petite the woman was. Adam had a curious look on his face. Hoss and Joe seemed to find no discomfort in this scenario. Ben continued beaming – he was genuinely happy to see the woman who had helped his son through a journey of memories.
Hop Sing had set a place for Sam at the table and Ben began pulling a chair out for her to sit in. "Sit down and eat while it's hot," Ben boomed happily. Though he did give a sideways glance at Adam.
"I'm sorry. I can't stay," Sam said, trying to give her best smile. "I just thought I would ride out and say hello."
"Nonsense!" boomed Ben. "You're here just at the right time. Now sit down and eat!"
Sam knew Ben well enough to not refuse this invitation. Besides, she was curious about this Gretchen-creature. So she sat down as Ben sliced the leg of lamb for her.
"I think we've come full-circle," Sam commented as she looked at the lamb. "This is what Hop Sing served the first night I was here."
Joe passed platters of vegetables. "Hey, that's right! Adam remembered liking lamb. It was his first memory."
"Second," Adam said, avoiding Sam's eyes. "The first was a name from a book, I believe. 'Gunga Din'."
Sam half-choked on her first sip of wine, then recovered. "I seem to recall that to be quite true, Adam."
Hoss, who felt no tension in the air, began to ask questions. "What brings you here, Sam? Are you just passing through or what?"
Sam paused. She might as well tell the truth. "Well, I've been writing to Doc Martin and he suggested that having a lady doctor in town might be worth trying. Though internal medicine isn't my specialty, I took a whole bunch of remedial classes in San Francisco to jog my memory. I'll watch and work with Doc Martin for a while to see if this is what I want to do."
"How odd," interjected Adam, "that Doc Martin failed to mention this to any of us. He's had plenty of time to broach the subject in the last six months." There was an edge of sarcasm to his voice.
Doc Martin didn't mention to me that you had a girlfriend, Sam thought.
Gretchen spoke with a soft drawl. "I think it's a wonderful idea to have another doctor in town. How did you come to pick Virginia City? Do you have family here? Or other interests, perhaps?"
Sam looked into Gretchen's blue eyes and didn't like what she saw there. The woman was being nosy, bordering on catty, and Sam took an instant dislike to this woman who had laid her hand possessively across Adam's arm.
Looking at Gretchen intently, Sam answered flatly. "My family is dead. I have no ties in San Francisco, and I learned to love this part of the country. Doc Martin's idea of having another doctor here seemed like the perfect plan. We'll see how it works out. While I'm working with Doc Martin, I'll be staying at the hotel and, if things go well, I'll buy a place of my own and open my own practice."
Gretchen batted her eyelashes. "I know we all have you to thank for being such a help to Adam. Isn't that right, dear?" And she flashed a smile up into Adam's face.
Ben flinched. Hoss stole a sideways glance at Little Joe.
Sam's eyebrow shot up to her hairline. "Adam remembered on his own. I just helped lead him a bit to help his mind relax and be open." What Sam wanted to do was to fly across the table and slap the smirk off Gretchen's face.
"Well, all that's behind us now," Ben said. And skillfully, he changed the subject.
When the meal was finished, Ben offered Sam a brandy which was politely refused. "I have a lot of unpacking to do," Sam said. What she didn't say was that she wanted to get the hell out of the house. Quick! "Tomorrow, I'll spend the day with Doc Martin and get to know some of his patients. Most folks are used to a male physician, so he can let me assist him and let people decide whether a female doctor is worth having around."
As she reached the door, Sam turned. "It was wonderful to see all of you again. I hope to see a lot more of you. Just not as a patient!" She smiled.
"And, of course, Adam and I would like to see more of you," Gretchen said evenly.
I bet you would, Sam thought. Women have a gut feeling when a man is involved.
"Good night, and thank you for the lovely meal," Sam called as she swung into the saddle.
Adam had the strangest look on his face while the other Cartwrights waved. Even Hop Sing (who secretly hated Gretchen) called out a "Good night!"
Sam rode away, unhappy and disconcerted. She wondered if Adam had plans to marry Gretchen. Sam was very afraid that she had waited too late in returning…
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Sam appeared at Doc Martin's office bright and early – she wanted to have a talk with him in private – but she would have to wait. Three patients had arrived ahead of her, and the doctor was busy. He had to check on the progress of young Johnnie Pearson's broken leg; old Mrs. Jackson had a sore throat and a nasty-sounding cough; and then there was Jed Tyson with a boil on his backside that needed to be lanced.
To Doc Martin's joy, Sam stepped right in and helped wherever and whenever she could. Her demeanor was calm and self-assured, and the patients responded to her positively. Word would spread about this new lady doctor – Doc Martin was sure of this.
Even Jed Tyson, who had balked at first about a woman looking at his backside, responded to Sam's gentle ways and finally relented and allowed her to assist Doc Martin. Very few folks got along with Jed, but Sam's demeanor won him over. She was so sympathetic to his condition, praised him for being so brave when the boil was lanced, and told him what an excellent patient he was. She was sincere, and Jed could tell insincerity when he saw it. This Dr. Nielsen was special.
As soon as Jed had left the office (walking quite gingerly), Sam grabbed a trash can and promptly threw up. Now Doc Martin was sympathetic. "Boils are very common out here. I never get used to the smell, but I've learned how to control my stomach. It helps if you breathe through your mouth."
Embarrassed, Sam nodded. After she had popped a peppermint in her mouth – a candy that was good for settling stomachs – she turned to look at Doc Martin. With hands on her hips, she spoke.
"Why didn't you tell me that Adam had a girlfriend?" Though well-controlled, her voice still had a touch of anger.
Doc Martin was surprised. "My letters to you were strictly professional. I didn't know that you would be interested."
"Well, I am! I made a fool out of myself by arriving at the Ponderosa last night and finding Gretchen Werner quite attached to Adam Cartwright!"
Chuckling, Doc Martin looked into Sam's green eyes. "I had no idea that you were interested in Adam. I would have warned you had I known. You told me only that you and Dr. Sternberg were involved once but that things didn't work out. I guess my crystal ball doesn't work well."
Sam mulled this over in her mind. What the doctor had said was true. He didn't know about Sam's feelings for Adam. How could he? None of the Cartwrights would ever had said a word to anybody.
Her anger dissipating, Sam sighed. "I'm sorry, Doc. Of course you didn't know. I was just terribly embarrassed last night and wanted to blame somebody for my own mistake."
And the two had a private discussion about Adam. And how Sam felt about the man. And why she had jumped at the chance to come work in Virginia City. And Doc Martin told Sam all about the Werner family. They were from Germany, had lived just outside of town for several years and had their own farm – growing a huge array of vegetables (summer and winter), hay and alfalfa. Friedhelm and Ilsa had donated as much hay as they were able when the winters were intense and when neighboring ranchers had cattle that were starving, unable to find food in the deep snows that fell. In return, the cattle ranchers always saw to it that the Werner family had plenty of beef to eat. The Werners were neither rich nor poor, and they were well-liked.
Gretchen was the only child, and Friedhelm and Ilsa doted on her. Subsequently, the girl grew up a little on the spoiled side and could be snobby when she wanted to be. But, for the most part, she had many friends in and around Virginia City. Some women had the tendency to be slightly jealous of her because of her flawless appearance; men were attracted to her beauty and to the soft drawl she had acquired from a Texas tutor who had home-schooled her. She subsequently didn't have the German accent of her parents.
But Sam still didn't like her. Oh, she would be nice to her if they happened to meet, but she just couldn't pretend to like the woman – not because Adam was squiring her around but because there was something not quite right about what was behind those blue eyes. This tidbit of information, Sam kept to herself.
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With no new patients arriving at Doc Martin's, Sam had borrowed one of Doc's medical books and had taken it with her to lunch. So engrossed was she in her reading, she failed to realize that she was being spoken to.
"Sam?" said Ben, laying a hand gently on her shoulder.
Startled, Sam jumped. Then, recognizing Ben, she had to laugh at herself.
"Ben, how nice to see you! And it's my turn to ask you to sit down and have something to eat!"
Ben gave her shoulder a squeeze and sat down. He smiled at her – she almost always made him smile. "I was at the bank and thought I saw you come in here," he said as he looked at the menu. "I wanted to tell you how wonderful it was to see you last night."
Sam closed the medical book. "I wanted to surprise you. I think I was the one who was surprised. I shouldn't have gone out to the Ponderosa unexpectedly, but I was excited…"
"Sam," Ben interrupted. "I want you to know that you are always welcome at the Ponderosa. We all care a great deal about you."
Sam chewed the inside of her cheek. "I think I made Adam uncomfortable. I'm sorry. But I didn't know about Gretchen. Doc Martin hadn't filled me in on that bit of news. Nobody had."
Ben was quiet for a moment. Then he chose his words carefully. "Adam cared a great deal for you. When you left, he had a very difficult time. When Gretchen approached him and showed an…interest …in him, his ego took an upward swing. It was what he needed at the time."
Sam got right to the point. "Is he in love with her?"
As always, Ben was impressed with Sam's forthright manner. But he was reticent to talk about his son's personal life. Yet he knew this was important to Sam. "He may think he is. But you know how private Adam can be, so I really can't say exactly what he feels."
Sam sighed. "I really made a mess of things, didn't I?"
"Remember the night we talked?" Ben asked. "You told me about your young man back in San Francisco. I suggested that you do what was right for you at the time, and you did just that. I assume, since you're here in Virginia City, that you did what you needed to do."
"Things with Robert just didn't work out," Sam answered slowly. "We came to a mutual understanding, and it was the right one for both of us. And, because of Doc Martin's kindness, here I am." Then another forthright question. "What do you think of Gretchen?"
Ben had ordered only a cup of coffee and he sipped it while he was thinking. "She's an attractive woman but I don't think that she's Adam's intellectual equal. On the other hand, I've heard many times that opposites attract. I can't tell you any more."
Nodding her head and smiling, Sam touched Ben's arm. "I've never heard you say anything unkind about anybody. And you've never been one to talk out of turn. If I put you in a bad position, I apologize."
"No apology necessary," Ben answered, finishing his cup of coffee in a hurry. He rose to leave. "I've got more business to attend to. I just wanted to wish you well in your work with Doc Martin. And I hope that you decide to stay. This town needs another doctor. And we can always use an extra friend."
"Thank you, Ben."
With a smile, Ben paid for his coffee and Sam's meal. Sam was deeply touched by this most honest man and what he had said. Surprisingly, Ben returned to the table to say one last thing. "If I were you, I wouldn't give up." He gave Sam a conspiratorial wink.
Sam, taken off guard, answered. "I won't. Count on it."
With that, Ben was gone, leaving Sam with her medical book – which she couldn't concentrate on – and a heart that had wings of hope.